


Cold Snap

by Evil_Little_Dog



Series: Little Things [189]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Blanket Fic, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 20:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9088450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Little_Dog/pseuds/Evil_Little_Dog
Summary: Summary: The furnace went out, and...Disclaimer: Arakawa owns all.





	

The cold snap happened with little warning. Oh, summer rolled into autumn but it had been such a mellow fall, when the weather turned icy, it surprised all of Rush Valley. Edward usually thought it a good thing they made their home in the foothills like the LeCoultes most of the time but right now, with snow blasting its way around their house and the wind shooting down off the cliffs, he found himself rethinking that logic. 

Jerking at his coat to wrap it tighter around his body, Edward mentally cursed the cold. Swearing didn’t warm him any but made him feel better. The house had been built tight against the wind coming down from the mountains but that didn’t stop the chill from infiltrating their home. 

If the heater actually worked – but Edward stopped that thought in its tracks. Winry had been in the basement for the past ten hours trying to figure out what was wrong with the furnace. Here on the ground floor, Edward had lit a fire but the fireplace didn’t have a blower to push the warm air around the house. In comparison to the rest of the rooms, the living room felt comfortable and Edward planned on making it better than that. He’d cooked over open fires before and had a cauldron of soup bubbling in the fire. Thick slices of bread toasted in front of the flames. 

At least Paninya had come by and, mostly by Edward’s encouragement – suggestion, he said, ‘shouting’, Winry had argued – the little thief had hauled Simon and Becca off to the LeCoultes’ and their warmer house. Edward had been willing to go too, at least until Winry pointed out the water pipes might burst without heat and, Edward had to reluctantly admit, paying for water damage and freeze damage was something more than he wanted to do.

Candles dotted the house with little pools of light and heat to help keep the pipes warm. To keep the water flowing, Winry had made sure each of the faucets was loosened enough to allow a slow drip. Edward had only briefly spared a thought of alchemy, reminding himself other people dealt with this kind of weather without alchemy and by using their brains. Hence the candles, stuck into empty canning jars to help keep the wax from spreading and the head focused in one place. 

While Winry worked in the basement, Edward made decisions on the ground and second floors. He could shut off the upstairs and conserve the heat downstairs, with the knowledge heat always rose. The kitchen and bathroom were on the ground floor and he definitely wanted to keep those pipes working. Staying on the ground floor meant he had to drag down their mattress and bedding to the living room but Edward consoled himself with the idea it would be like their ‘camping out’ days of childhood. Except now Alphonse was in Xing and this wasn’t Risembool but his and Winry’s very own house. 

Edward had dragged in wood, the brightly scented, somewhat oily stuff that grew in Rush Valley and its environs – excellent for fires as long as someone kept an eye on it. A kettle steamed gently over the fire and a couple of cups sat nearby, along with other food waiting for Winry to finish up whatever she was doing downstairs and take a rest for the night. 

With that thought in mind, Edward grumbled his way to the stairs, opening the door to the basement. A waft of frigid air enveloped him, making him hiss and swear again. “Winry! Damn it woman, it’s time to give it a break!”

“Just another half hour!” she shouted back. 

He couldn’t curse her dedication – that tenacious streak kept _him_ going, after all – but he could try appealing to her more basic desires. Rattling down the stairs, Edward made his way across the chilly basement to where Winry sat on a stool in front of what was left of their furnace. It was in pieces as far as he could tell, and didn’t look like a half-hour job to either put it back together or coddle it into heating the house again. He half wished he’d taken Granny up on that offer of hers to give them her old soapstone stove. That thing would’ve been better even than the fireplace. Still, neither here nor there at the moment.

“Winry, come on. You’re going to catch a cold or worse down here and you know I’m shit at taking care of people.” Edward put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “You feel like you’ve gone a few rounds in Briggs, woman! Give it up!”

She twisted around, peering at him out of one squinted eye. “I just need a little more time!”

“No!” Edward snapped. “Damn it, Winry. If you haven’t fixed it yet, it’s not getting fixed tonight!” He shook her a little, half-afraid she’d snap like an icicle at the jostle. “You’re freezing. You need to warm up, get something hot in you - ”

“Is that an offer?” Winry asked. 

Edward growled, flustered at the innuendo and the sly grin on Winry’s face. At least until she sneezed. “Gah! Winry!” He yelped and danced backward but just knew her mucus covered the lower half of his shirt. “That’s not romantic!” 

She sniffled, rubbing her nose with the back of her wrist. Edward couldn’t scold her when he’d do the same thing himself but he did spot a bandana tossed over her toolbox, picked it up, and handed it to her. “I tried,” Winry said before blowing her nose loudly. 

“Yeah, you did and the furnace is dead.” Edward kicked a panel of metal with his automail leg, not trusting the cold and his flesh toes. They might snap off or something, despite the shoes and layers of socks he wore. “So tomorrow we’ll give it a burial. Tonight we’re eating and you’re going to sleep in a nice, warm room.” 

Winry groaned at the idea, letting Edward pull her to her feet. “I still think if I had another forty-five minutes - ”

“What happened to the half-hour?” Edward snapped. “Don’t answer that, you gearhead. You’re not getting any more time with the furnace tonight.” Wrapping his arm around her, he grumbled, “You’re as frigid as Olivier Armstrong,” and yipped in shock when Winry elbowed him hard. 

“Keep talking like that and I won’t tell you.” Her teeth chattered as they climbed the stairs. Before Edward could ask her what she wouldn’t tell, Winry went on. “How I learned to stay warm in Briggs.” 

“I was with you in Briggs,” Edward reminded, opening the basement door and half-carrying Winry through it. Her sigh made parts of him want to take interest. He tried to ignore those parts. “Anything you learned, I learned.” 

Winry snorted, a very unladylike sound. “You didn’t make friends.” 

“Did too.” Edward argued more for the sake of arguing than anything – he doubted he made friends in Briggs. Well, Falman, but he’d been a friend of sorts to begin with, being one of the bastard’s men. Guiding Winry to the warmth of the living room, Edward grinned when she pulled away from him and half-fell onto the mattress in front of the fire. Winry yanked off her gloves and stretched her hands out to the flames. A shudder at the heat went through her body. Edward knelt on the mattress behind her, pulling up a blanket and wrapping it around her. He nuzzled her freezing cold ear with his warm nose and breathed on her neck, making gooseflesh rise. “So what way did you learn to keep warm?” 

Relaxing into Edward’s embrace, Winry pressed her back into his chest. Damn but she was icy. “Well,” she said, tilting her head a little so the crown of it brushed his chin, “I spent some time with their engineer and their doctor, remember? They both told me if you get caught out in the cold to take off your clothes and get under a blanket with someone.” 

Yeah, that did it. His dick really liked that idea, especially with no little kids to interrupt them. Edward began tugging at the zipper on Winry’s coveralls. “You’re wearing too many clothes.” 

Winry batted at his hands. “I’m hungry! I want something to eat first!” Her laughter rang in his ears like the solstice bells that would ring out in Rush Valley soon enough. 

Edward hesitated, his hands hovering around the zip pull. “And afterward?” 

Turning around to face him, Winry cupped his face with her still-chilly hands. “Afterward, I’ll show you how they keep warm in Briggs.” Her kiss warmed them both up and when she leaned back, Edward swayed toward her. Winry planted her hand in his face, pushing him off. “Soon. Right now I need to eat!” 

“Well, eat!” Edward barked, shifting his weight and the crotch of his pants. They seemed a little snug. “And have something to drink!” 

“And then,” Winry said, “we’ll show this cold snap it doesn’t scare us any.” Her grin promised a whole night of keeping each other warm. 

Afterward, Edward regained enough of his senses to realize the wind rattled the windows, trying to gain entry into their warm nest. He smiled triumphantly and shot an obscene gesture toward the glass before tucking himself more tightly against Winry. She mumbled and adjusted herself to the pressure of his body against hers. Edward kissed her forehead before flipping the blanket up higher around them. 

It would be a long, cold night, but they’d make it through.


End file.
